Seal



May 5, `1931- M. PINKERT ET AL 1,803,916

SEAL

Filed April 24, 192e Patented May 5, 1931 narran STATES 'Parar OFFICE.

MAX PINKERT, OF FFORZHEIM, AND l'ANEL IIILLER, OF NEUENBURG, GERMANY; SAD PINKERT ASSIG-NOR TO SAID MLLER SEAL Application filed April 24, 1928, Serial No. 272,428, and in Germany August 10, 1927.

The present invention has reference to metal seals for sealing all kinds of containers, goods in transit, railroad cars, and the like and it relates more speciiically to a sheet metal seal, commonly called lead, comprising a. housing and a flexible metal loop or strap, the two ends of which are superimposedly secured within the housing, the device then forming a closure which can be opened again only by forcibly breaking the parts.

Seals of this particularly type, in which the two strap ends are inter-engagingly clamped when the seal is closed, are substantially of two kinds. In the one kind the free strap end is" of the same cross-section as the rest of the stra-p, that is to say extendsin a straight plane, and the other kind has a tubular strap end. The lat strap end lacks rigidity necessary for quick and ready insertion into the housing, and both types can readily be tampered with and can be opened and closed again by a skilled hand without outwardly showing any damage.

In the flat-ended type, the closed seal can readily be opened by shoving back the barbed strap end suliiciently to move the barbs away from the stop members on the housing or the other strap end and by then inserting a strip or" sheet metal and thereby depressing the barbs and keeping them depressed during the withdrawal of the strap end from the housing.

In the tubular strap end type the barbs are struck out romthe tube `wall and snap into corresponding perforations of the other, also tubular strap end. By relatively displacing these tubular members, or by introducing one or two half-tubes between the two nested tubular strap ends it is relatively easy to open and close these seals without outward showing of such tampering.

A Jfurther disadvantage of the well known 5 sheet metal leads of this character is that the relatively thin metal parts do not allow the impressing of names, dates, or other designations, at least not with the conventional sealing tools now used by railroad employees and other carriers.

The present invention does away with all these disadvantages.

The invention essentially resides in the stitli'ened conformation of the strap end to be closingly inserted into the housing, obtained by tooling the end portion tol present a grooved or channeled cross-section, and in the formation of hooks or barbs near the eX- tremity of this strap cndfor hooking cooperation with the other strap end within the two-part housing. The stiiened strap end thus is not tubular in cross-section, but trough-shaped, the two trough or channel edges in the closed position of the seal structure preventing a relative rotaryor twisting displacement of the strap ends. The runique arrangement and operative engagement of the barbs withthe other strap end make the insertion of a metal strip or tool impossible and thus make the seal vproof against tampering.

1n order to make our invention more readily understood, we will now describe it in detail in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which Figpl is a side elevation of the strap end which is normally retained in the seal housing; Fig. 2 is a top view thereof, and Fig. 3 a cross-section therethrough on line 3*?) of Fig. 2. Figs. 4, 5 and 6 illustrate side elevation, top view, and cross-section on line 6-6 of Fig. l respectively, of the reinforced, barbed other end of the loop or strap. Fig. 7 is a longitudinal section, and Fig. 8 a top view of the seal housing. Fig. 9 is a longitudinal section, and' Fig. l0 a top view of the housing cover. Fig. 11 is a top view of the closed seal with part of the strap broken away. Fig. 1Q. is a longitudinal section through the closed seal. Fig. 13 is a fragmentary vertical section through a constructional modiiication. Fig. 14 is a longitudinal section, and Fig. l5 the top view of a modified construction of the reinforced strap end.

The end of the loop or strap a, of flexible metal, to be placed around or through the object to be sealed or leaded, is machined at the one end to form -a stifened, troughed or channeled structure b, and at its other end, which normally isv always retained within the housing, the strap presents the flat tongue c. Near the extremity of the tree end b are provided laterally flaring hooks or barbs e (Figs. e and 5), or, as in the modification illustrated in Figs. ll and l5, barbs or spurs e are struck out from the channel bottom and areturned through an angle of degrees downwardly, forming with the respective channel walls an angle (Z. rIhe tongue member c is positioned in the housing g so that the struck-up eye nipple 7L passes through the cut-out z' in the tongue member C, and t-lie raised wall portion Ze engages in the trough shaped keeper sleeve or member f, closing the latters open side, and also forming a support for the outer edges or" the channeled strap end to prevent the latter 'from becoming relatively twisted.

ln the 'embodiment according to Figs. 4 and 5, the splayed barbs e extend in the same plane withthe outer channel edges, so that this alone would already prevent a twisting movement ot the strap end Z) within the seal housing.

' The cover member Z (Figs. 9 and l0) closes the housing, the dome portion m, which is open toward the strap passage, enclosing the keeper and the cover is held in place by the edge ot the housing ,7 being crimped or turned over as shown in lllig. l2; The cover Z is provided with a perforation o' for the passage et the eye-nipple 7L. A lead rivet p is secured in this eye ZL by a short lateral extension g, and markings may be recorded in this lead filling in the usual manner. In `Fig. 123 this lead closure is shown as caught under the turned over housing edge n, for additional security against tampering or loosening. i

In closing the seal the end a is slidably inserted through the trough shaped keeper f via the inner exposed end of said keeper and until the barbs e, which are pressed inwardly close to the walls of the channel Zi by the walls of the keeper, pass the outerV end of the keeper into a chamber formed by the wider portion of the housing g, said barbs their springing outwardly so as to hook over the sides ot the keeper at its outer end and lie in the contracted space between the same and the housing and adjacent to the contracted inner portion of the housing, whereby the barbed end of the end a` is enclosed in the said chamber and interlocked therein with the keeper in such a manner that the barbs cannot be tampered with or released without disruption ot the seal. y

For opening the seal the strap must be severed. In order to readily'break the strap by manually bending it to and ltro, there are provided two opposed notches 1 at a plane falling just within the housing wall when the strap end is shoved home in thehousing. A stitfening and positioning beads is pressed a keeper end out of the strap a, the housing wall n lying between this bead s and the notches r.

In the embodiment shown in Figs. 14 and 15 the stitfened strap end Z) extends over the trough f, the inwardly directed barbs e hooking over it from within outwardly.

Vhat we claim is l. A seal comprising a metallic strip having a catch end and a keeper end, adapted for interlocking engagement, the keeper end being provided with a keeper member and casing substantially enclosing the same, the

prising a metallic strip having ai catch end Y formed with channeled portion the walls ot which aie formed with lateral barbs and to receive said catch end, said keeper end carrying a. keeper member having contracted inner end portion and au eX-y pauded outer end portion, said keeper member being adapted to receive the channeled end of the catch and the barbs of the latter being adapted for interlocking engagement MAX PINKERT. n IMANUEL MLLER. 

